Expressions of interest have already been received from sporting bodies in Brazil, Germany and the United States. In order to capitalise on this interest, sports minister John O'Donoghue has asked for an audit of existing sporting facilities to determine their suitability for participating teams.

A recent briefing paper prepared by O'Donoghue's office notes: "If Ireland is to be attractive to potential participating athletics, access to high-quality sporting and residential accommodation must be available.

"We expect to enhance a number of facilities to cater for athletics and teams preparing for the Olympics, and any physical infrastructure built or upgraded in the years prior to the games to attract teams will obviously benefit future Irish athletes, " the briefing paper states.

The upgrading of third-level facilities, and the development of the sports campus at Abbotstown, are seen as central to the promotion of Ireland to competing countries. The first phase of the Abbotstown campus is scheduled to be completed in 2010. It will include an indoor training centre, all-weather synthetic pitches and worldclass accommodation and medical facilities.

The Olympic Council of Ireland has informed the sports minister that several countries have indicated an interest in using Ireland as a base ahead of the London games. According to O'Donoghue's officials: "Ireland possesses the advantages of having the same climatic conditions and being in the same time zone as London, within an hour by air travel, and Ireland will avoid most of the media hype that one often finds in the host country."

A government-appointed task force is due to report shortly on options for exploiting opportunities from the 2012 Olympics.

As well as attracting teams, the task force has been focusing on the tourism and business potential of the London games, which are expected to attract over one million visitors. The games' organisers are also planning a world cultural festival . . . Cultural Olympiad . . . which will run in London and elsewhere in the UK in 2012. O'Donoghue's department is hoping to have an Irish cultural involvement in the festival.